Thread by @euronewsliving

Inactivity is the fourth biggest killer in the world - yet it's barely discussed.

We spoke to @peterwalker99 about his new book which looks at this health crisis, and how the solution to sedentary living could save both planet and people.

For #healthcareweek, read more 👇

The facts around inactivity are pretty sobering:

💤 1.5 billion people are so inactive they are at risk
⚠ 5.3 million people die from inactive living every year
👫 80% of British children move so little their long-term health is in jeopardy

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But the problem isn't that we are all getting collectively lazier - it's not really about personal choice at all.

As @peterwalker99 argues, our lives have been stripped from 'incidental movement'. This isn't purposeful exercise, but everyday activity.

#HealthcareWeek

One of the answers to this global public health crisis is to redesign our towns and cities to encourage and better facilitate more walking and cycling, and less driving.

Countries like the Netherlands do this well, but others are lacking.

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Walker highlights a study in his book which looked at 30,000 people over a 15-year period.

After adjusting for all other factors, the ones who cycled to work (an average commute of 15 minutes) were 40% less likely to have died during the study.

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But in order to capture the "miracle" power of activity, we need to see a redesign of our towns and cities.

Walking and cycling has to be not only safe and possible, but the best and easiest option for people.

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Although the Netherlands is a great example of facilitating cycling, two-thirds of the adult population across the EU are still not meeting minimum activity guidelines to be healthy.

So there is still a long way to go.

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"If we want to fix our increasingly sedentary world, we have to redesign it."

Read our full feature and interview with @peterwalker99 here for #HealthcareWeek 👇

euronews.com/living/2021/03…